Batman Live Lost $220,000 In Albuquerque

There were indications that the Batman Live arena show was experiencing troubles at the box office at some locations late last year, as San Antonio and Tulsa runs were cancelled entirely, and expected 2013 dates didn’t emerge after a Dallas stop in December.

Batman Live’s eight-performance run at the Rio Rancho venue Oct. 17 through 21, on its maiden U.S. tour, lost $220,000, forcing Star Center management to ask the city, which owns the venue, for more financial help on top of the $3.5 million in the annual budget to cover debt and operating costs.

And further:

Officials ventured that the ticket price, ranging from $19.50 to $89.50 before handling fees, played a role in the attendance figures. But the show’s high-tech visual displays, elaborate costumes, acrobatics and props, including a life-size replica of the Batmobile, made it a costly production, Killion said.

Too bad. Between this and Spider-Man Turn off the Dark, it hasn’t been a good couple years for live super-hero shows, it seems… though I’d like to have seen them both.